I'm going to read from two or
three places this morning, but first of all from 2 Thessalonians
chapter 3 and verse 5. and the Lord, direct your hearts
into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. That's the part of our salvation,
patiently waiting for Christ. We live in a day, sadly, that
so many are influenced and persuaded to walk an aisle and make a confession,
and they soon lose interest in the gospel, meeting with the
people of God, They just think someday, someday they're going
to wake up in glory, you know, with mom and dad and grandma
and grandpa, but that's not the way it is. He which hath begun
a good work in you. Paul said this, I'm confident
of this very thing. that he which hath begun a good
work in you will keep on working, continue to work until the day
of Jesus Christ. When God puts his almighty saving
hand on a sinner, he never takes it off until that sinner is conformed
to the image of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. You can count
on it. You can count on it. Part of salvation is waiting
for the Lord Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians,
the tenth verse, part of their faith was waiting for the Lord
Jesus Christ. That's part of our faith. Something
started in me, happened to me, in me, a long time ago, that
caused me to be waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe any
day, And I may not be as expectant as I ought to, but I am waiting
for the Lord Jesus Christ. My salvation is not over. 1 Peter
1.10, 1 Peter 1.9, I believe it is, receiving the end of your
faith. The end of your faith, which
is the salvation of your soul. When we get to the end of our
faith, our salvation will be complete. We'll be perfectly
conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, the Apostle
Paul, my subject this morning, is waiting, waiting for Christ. And how many here, answer your
own question of your own heart, how many here are actually waiting
for the Lord Jesus Christ? I know you know that it's going
to be, it's a certainty, but are you waiting? Are you looking
for it? That's what the Bible uses those words, waiting for
Christ, looking for Christ, waiting for Christ. Patiently waiting
for the Lord Jesus Christ to complete our salvation. Paul
writing to the Corinthians, he said in the first letter, chapter
13, Now abide of these three, faith, hope, and charity. And the greatest of these is
charity. Now these three, are inseparable
graces. If you have one, you have them
all. And if you don't have them all, you don't have one. Faith,
hope, and charity. The Bible says if a man has faith,
he has love, because the Bible teaches that faith worketh by
love. Faith worketh by love. That's the way it works. Paul
said, the love of Christ constraineth me. That's the way it is. One has one of these graces,
he has them all. And if a man has hope, he has
faith. Because faith is the foundation
of everything we hope for. Faith and hope are so connected,
so inseparable. We believe in this and that and
the other, and we hope for it. We haven't received the promise
yet, but we wait and hope. Because we believe it. We believe
it. Faith and hope are connected
together. What we see and embrace by faith,
we patiently wait for it. That's what the Bible teaches.
Look at Romans 8.24 just a moment. Romans 8.24. 24 and 25. Romans
chapter 8. We are saved by hope. We're saved by faith. True. But what we embrace by faith,
we hope for and wait for. For we are saved by hope. But
hope that is seen, that's not hope. Well, what a man seeeth,
why does he yet hope for it? But if we hope, for that we see
not, Then we do we with patience wait for it. We see it by faith. We believe it with all of our
hearts, and we hope and wait and wait and hope. That's the
way it is. Now, Galatians chapter five,
look there just a moment. Galatians chapter five. What
faith embraces, we hope. We live in hope of. These all
died in faith, not having seen the promises, but boy, they were
persuaded of them, and they lived on them, and lived in hope of
their fulfillment. Hebrews 11, 13. Look at verse
5. We, through the Spirit, wait
for the hope of righteousness, by faith, faith and hope. We believe, we're justified by
faith. We believe that one day we'll
be made perfect with a body like the body of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and we wait, patiently hope. Now look at Philippians chapter
three, just a moment. Philippians chapter three. What
we believe by faith, we patiently hope for. Verse 20, Philippians
3. Our citizenship. That's the word
here. Conversation. That word means,
in this instance, it means citizenship. Our citizenship is in heaven.
From which also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is that word, looking and
waiting. Waiting and looking for the Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Who? shall change our vile body that
we may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according
to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things
unto Himself." We're not able to do anything, but He is. We
believe Him, and we wait on Him, and we hope in Him. All of our
hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ through His Word. Then one more
place. Hebrews 9, if you will. Hebrews
chapter 9. Verse 28, So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many, and unto them that wait and hope,
them that look for Him, shall He appear the second time without
sin unto salvation. What are you waiting for? What
are you hoping for? To see Christ come back without sin, to complete,
finish my salvation. It's not finished. It's just
begun back when He quickened me. And He's been working with
me and in me and around me all these years. And I'm waiting
for the end. The end of my faith. The end
of my hope. When there's nothing left but
charity. The greatest of these is charity.
Because it remaineth forever. Faith and hope. shall one day
outlive their day. Now, Paul was an apostle to the
Gentile nations. He was used of God to take the
gospel to the Thessalonica, where many believed. The Bible
said many believed. Now, I want to show you this.
There's not much preaching like this in our day. We're too busy
trying to persuade and convince and get folks to move, you know. That's not what Paul did. Paul
was concerned for the souls of men. Pleaded with men to close
with Christ. Come to Christ. Embrace Christ.
And yet, he never did all of these foolish things, gimmicks
and tricks and all of these things. Look at Acts chapter 17, just
a moment. Acts chapter 17. And this is what the Apostle
Peter did on the day of Pentecost, exactly the same thing. In the travels of the Apostle
Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, when they had passed
through Amphibolus, Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica. Where was the synagogue of the
Jews? And Paul, as his manner was,
as his custom was, as he normally did, the apostle Paul went in
unto them, the synagogue of the Jews, and three Sabbath days
reasoned with them out of the Word of God, out of the opening
and alleging, asserting, showing from the Scriptures that Christ
must needs have suffered and died and risen again from the
dead. And that this Jesus, whom I preach
unto you, is the Messiah we've been waiting for all these years.
I wish I could have heard that. The Apostle Paul, with all of
his learning and all of his knowledge in the Scriptures, went into
these people, his own countrymen, and reasoned with them and showed
them out of the Scriptures how that Christ must needs have suffered,
Isaiah 53, and risen again, all according to the Scriptures.
That's what Peter did on the day of Pentecost. Out of the
Scriptures. He made statements to them, and
this is according to the Scriptures. This is according to what David
said. according to the Scripture. And some of them believed and
consorted with Paul and Silas, and of the devout Jews, Greeks,
and two Greeks rather, a great multitude, and the chief women,
not a few. Many believed. This is Thessalonica. Later he wrote these two letters,
First Thessalonians and Second Thessalonians. And this is how
he started. This is how he began. This is
where he preached. to these people. And this is wonderful news. Turn
to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. This is what we pray for and
what I hope for and what I long for in the purpose and providence
and grace of our great God. Paul said, I can sow the Word, the good
seed. I can preach the Word. And Apollos,
he can pray. We can plant and pray and preach
and pray and preach and pray, but only God can give the increase. We must wait on God. We must
look to God. We must give God the glory for
these things. Give God the glory. Now look at these first few verses. Ten verses. Paul and Silvanus
Timotheus unto the church of the Thessalonians, which is in
God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be unto you
and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always
for you, making mention of you in our prayers. remembering what we read back
in Acts 17, remembering without ceasing your work of faith and
labor of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ,
in the sight of God and our Father, knowing, brethren, your election
of God. Knowing that God loves you, God
chose you, God called you out for this one reason. For our
gospel came not unto you in word only. No, no, no, no. But also in power, divine power,
and in the Holy Ghost. and in much assurance, as you
know what manner of men we were seeing among you for your sakes. And you became followers of us. Now you went to this city, priests
reading with the Jews, like we said, and a lot of Greeks, a
whole bunch of Greeks, a lot of honorable, noble women were
saved. And you became followers of us
and of the Lord, having received the Word in much affliction.
But boy, you received it with joy. It cost you. You were mocked. You were persecuted. You were belittled. And yet you
received it with joy. God's work. God's work. So that you were examples to
all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. And from you sounded
out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia,
but also in every place. Your faith, the God Word, is
spread abroad so that you need not, so that we need not to brag
on you or speak anything. Your faith shows who you are
and what you are and what you believe and who you follow. Your
faith, it's spoken of. Men talk about it. These men
left their idols and turned to the living God. For they themselves show to us,
show of us, What manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you
turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and
to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead,
even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. He came
down here and suffered and bled and died to deliver us from the
wrath to come. And we're waiting for him to
come again and complete our salvation, to finish our salvation, to perfectly
conform us to his own image, to make us like himself, the
Lord Jesus Christ. When Paul preached, God, and
that's our only hope, not long invitations, not sweet soft music,
God. When Paul preached, God caused
the Word to go forth in power. Power of the Holy Spirit. And
many believe. God caused the Word to go forth
in power. They received it with joy, even
though there was much tribulation and much heartache and persecution
involved. Now, in verse 10, this last verse,
to wait for his... That's part of faith. That's
part of saving faith. To wait to look for his Son from
glory. the Lord Jesus Christ. That's
an essential part of faith, waiting for the coming of the Son of
God. Faith in Christ embraces three
great truths. Deliverance. Deliverance from
the penalty of sin. There is therefore right now
No condemnation to those who are in Christ. Justified. Deliverance from the penalty
of sin. They're no longer under the curse.
They're no longer under the law. They're free. He came and set
us free from the wrath to come. That's what it says here in this
last verse. Delivered from the dominion of
sin, Romans 6 deals with this thoroughly. You are no longer
under the dominion of the flesh or Satan or the world. You are
under the dominion of grace. Grace reigns. Where sin did reign,
grace now reigns under righteousness. You did live to the world. Now
you live to God. You are no longer under the dominion
of sin. And thirdly, this third deliverance
is, And this is what faith embraces, three deliverances, from the
penalty of sin, from the dominion of sin, and from the presence
of sin. The presence of sin. Paul said
in one place, 1 Corinthians 15, if in this life only we have
hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. We have hope
to look beyond this world. Hope that when we'll be made
whole, made like Christ, made like Adam before the fall, but
much higher because we're sons of God. He never was. From the very presence of sin,
One day we shall be delivered, and we shall be with Christ,
and we shall be made like Christ, and we shall be without sin,
heaven and glory forever in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the
end of our faith. And this is our hope, faith and
hope. We believe it and we hope, we
hope, we wait. Now, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians
3 through 5. Look there just a moment. 2 Thessalonians
3 through 5. The Word of God came in power.
We're bound to thank God always for you, brethren. As it is meet, it's fitting,
it's proper, because it's your faith groweth exceedingly, and
the charity of every one of you all toward each other groweth
exceedingly and abounds, so that we ourselves glory in
you in the churches of God for your patience and faith, and
all your persecution, tribulations that you endure, which is a manifest
token. of the righteous judgment of
God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God,
for which you also suffer, seeing it as a righteous thing with
God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, that
Christ is one day coming. This is the subject. That's what
we're talking about. Christ is one day coming. And
to you who are troubled, it'll be a time of rest. It'll be a
time of rest. This is a noun, not a verb. It's constructed very poorly. When He comes for you, when the
Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels, to you
who believe in Him, to you who trust Him, to you who have faith,
it'll be a time of rest. Your work's over. When He comes in flaming fire,
taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not
the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished
with everlasting destruction from the presence of God and
from the glory of His power, when He shall come to be glorified
in His saints, and to be admired in all them that believe, because
our testimony among you was believed in that day. Wherefore also we
pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of
this calling and fulfill all of your good pleasure, all of
the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power.
That the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you
and you in Him according to the grace of our God and the Lord
Jesus Christ. What a salvation we have. When
one is quickened and converted, that's just the beginning. And
he lives a life of faith down here below, the justified ones,
they live by faith. And when they get to the end
of their faith, it'll be the end of their salvation, the fullness
of their salvation. Be over. Be over. They will have become
saved. That's what I'm saying. They
will have become saved. Love and wait for Christ. Look at 2 Thessalonians just
a moment, verses 4 and 5. No, 1 Thessalonians, I'm sorry. 1 Thessalonians. Chapter 3, verses
4 and 5. That's the wrong place. I've
written down the wrong number. Give me just a second here. Chapter 3, 2 Thessalonians. I'm sorry. The Apostle Paul, closing out
his second letter, says this, We have confidence in the Lord
concerning you. I love that, the way he said
that. He didn't say, We have confidence in you. He said, We
have confidence in the Lord concerning that you both do and will do
the things which we command you, the things which we write, the
things which we tell you. And the Lord directs your hearts
into the love of God, the patient waiting for Christ, as we read
in the very beginning. I have confidence. But it's in
the Lord concerning you that the Lord will direct your heart
into the love of Christ and patience waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ. Look at that. This is where our
confidence is. Look at Jude just a moment. The
little book of Jude. And look how it's worded here.
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy
faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of
God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal,
everlasting, never-ending life in glory. Eternal life. The Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said, I have confidence
that the Lord will do these things for you, that you keep yourselves
in the love of God. And what does that mean? How
do we do that? Why do we need to do that? He wouldn't have written it if
it hadn't been important. Keep ourselves in the love of
God. There's a power and the means, and that is the ministry
of the Word of God in prayer. the ministry of the Word, the
reading of the Word, the hearing of the Word, the preaching of
the Word, and prayer. Faith and trust is what it comes
down to, keeping ourselves in the love of God. Now listen,
why is it necessary for us to keep ourselves in the love of
God? Do you remember Hebrews chapter
12 and verse 1, I believe it is? That sin which doth so easily
beset us, we need to do this because of unbelief. Unbelief
that resides in us. Unbelief that'll be in us until
these bodies die. Unbelief. We believe, yet we
say with the Apostles, Lord, help our unbelief. Unbelief. We need to keep ourselves in
the love of God. It does hinder us. It does hinder
us. And the whole world is a distraction
if we permit it to be. Keep your mind on what's important. Keep your thoughts on what's
important. Set your heart on things above, where Christ is,
who is our life. And we trust Him to keep us loving Him. We trust Him to keep us waiting,
looking, waiting for Christ. Now, these two things. First
of all, there's love without which all
of man's religious acts are vain. First Corinthians 13. I won't
even turn there and read it to you. But if a man had not loved
all that he does in the name of God, all that he sacrifices
and endures in the name of God, in his religion, it's all vain. It's like standing out in the
middle of the street, beating on the bottom of a tub. That's
what it is. That's what Paul says. Without
love, all is nothing. All is vain. Paul said, The love
of Christ constraineth me. And we pray, O God, keep the
fire of love burning in our hearts. I can't do it. I have the desire
to do it, which He put in my heart, but only God can accomplish
it, keep it burning. And so we trust in Him. Paul
said, with a circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice
in His Son, and have no confidence in the flesh. None whatsoever. Everything I used to trust in,
count advantageous, I count it all but done. I've suffered the
loss of it, and I don't want it back. Secondly, patiently waiting for
the Lord Jesus Christ, our hearts Let us be like the old songwriter
who said, nothing between my soul and the Savior. Nothing. Secondly, patient, waiting for
Christ. May God keep you in the love
of Christ, patient and waiting for Christ. That's the end of
our faith and the salvation of our souls. You find that in 1
Peter. Turn there just a moment, 1 Peter. Though you've never seen Christ,
but through faith in His Word, you rejoice with joy unspeakable
and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith,
even the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1, 8 and 9, receiving
the end of your faith, even the salvation of your soul. Now look
at 2 Peter just a moment. 2 Peter. I want you to see this. The day of the Lord will come,
and we're waiting and looking. But it will come. Be ready always,
for you know not the day nor the hour. The day of the Lord will come
as a thief in the night, in which the heaven shall pass away with
a great noise, the elements shall melt, and the works that are
therein with fervent heat, and the earth also, and the works
that are therein shall be burned up." This whole system as we
know it today. shall be purged and changed,
and every trace of sin be erased. Seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of person ought we
to be in all holy conversation, manner of life and godliness, always looking and patiently
waiting, and hasting, Lord Jesus, come quickly, hasting unto the
coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall
be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.
Nevertheless, though these things shall come to pass, we, according
to His promise, that's faith, Look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. And that's the basis of our hope.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be
diligent, that you may be found of him in peace, without spot
and blemish, without spot and blameless. And the count, I wish we could do this. That
every new day that God gives us, that we might account it
God's day and a day of salvation. It means that God's not through
saving yet. It means that God's going to
save somebody else. God's saving. Even as our beloved brother Paul,
also according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written
unto you, hath written unto you. Each day, each new day, might
be the last. And each new day means that God
is still saving sinners. It's a day of salvation. And
that ought to be good news for sinners. Let us love God for his amazing
love and grace, and patiently and expectantly wait for the
Lord Jesus Christ. One other place, one other place,
and that's, well, maybe two other places. Psalm 143. Verse six, Psalm 143 and verse
six. Look at these words, read them
with me. I stretch forth my hands unto
thee, unto God. My soul thirsteth after thee
as a thirsty land, a land that's had no water. My soul thirsteth
for water, God. Hear me speedily, O God, and
my spirit faileth. Hide not thy face from me, lest
I be likened to them that go down into the pit. That means
to me, if God didn't speak to me occasionally, deal with my
heart, I wouldn't have any more hope than those that go to hell.
Why should I? If God's not dealing with me,
if God's not blessing me, if He's not speaking to me, Why
should I have hope? Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness
in the morning, for in Thee do I trust. Cause me to know the
way wherein I should walk. I lift up my soul unto Thee. Deliver me, O God, O Lord, from
mine enemies. I flee unto Thee to hide me. Teach me to do Thy will, for
You are my God. Thy Spirit is good. Lead me into
the land of uprightness." Let's stop there and turn to one other
place. 1 John chapter 3. waiting, loving Christ and waiting for
His return. Behold what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, not offered us, bestowed upon
us. And He bestowed that love upon
us, and we're the sons of God. He made us His sons. He quickened
us. He gave us life that we should be called the
sons of God. Therefore, the world doesn't
know us. It never did know Him. He walked amidst the peoples
of this world from place to place. most talked about man in the
world during those days and after. And yet the world doesn't know
him. They didn't know him then. Paul
said if they'd known him, they wouldn't have crucified him because
he's the Lord of glory. And the world doesn't know us.
Beloved, right now, you sitting here this morning with faith
in Christ, right now, We are the sons of God. And I hear people talking about
what it's going to be like in heaven. They just don't know.
What will our glorious new bodies, resurrected bodies be like? I
just don't know. They don't either. They'll be
like Christ. That's all I know. It does not
yet appear what we shall be. But we know this. And when He
appears, we shall be made like Him, for we shall see Him as
He is. And every man that hath this
hope, the hope of being perfected, the hope of being glorified at
the coming of Christ, every man that hath this hope in him, he's
trying to do something to purify himself trying to be like Christ. May God bless these words to
every heart. May God bless this church, our
country, in these days in which we live. Okay, David.